By G.J. Gigelis '06
Tuesday, February 24, 2004 (The Princeton Spectator)
For some fans seated in the rows directly behind the student section in Jadwin gym for the Tigers home game against Penn on Tuesday February 10th, the words "Welcome to the Jungle" tended to block their view of the court. The entire courtside section was a sea of standing Princeton students wearing the newest addition to their collection of Princeton-related paraphernalia, with these words printed across the back. Where did these students come from, with their black and orange t-shirts, with smudges of buffalo sauce on the corners of their mouths, heckling their hearts out? Largely as a result of the efforts of three freshmen - John Boscia, Freddy Flaxman, and Jonah Perlin - Princeton students are flocking to basketball games with more enthusiasm than to Tiger Inn on "State Night." While setting a humble goal for themselves of slowly developing a "hardcore group" of 50 followers this year and allowing the club to grow into its own, these three freshman are indirectly pursuing nothing less than changing the very nature of Princeton athletics and possibly even the University itself. With over 600 students now enrolled in the club after 200 signed up at the Penn game alone, they are well on their way.
The idea arose when the three were sitting at a football game this past fall and were surprised at the low attendance. Why was it that a university that has so much pride, even to the point of arrogance, in its academic and social strengths does not support its athletic teams, the most visible manifestation of a school's immediate achievement, with equal fervor? Freddy Flaxman recalled how Stanford had created a club for the diehard fans of its basketball team, which resulted in a great increase in the student fan base. Using this model, the students reasoned that such a club could have equal success here, but several pieces needed to fall into place first. With the Athletics Department behind them and the help of Associate Director of Athletics James Zaninovich, the fledgling organization now found both a sponsor and a pregame hangout in Winberie's restaurant on Palmer Square. The marketing plan called for free pregame appetizers at Winberie's, free t-shirts to wear to the game, select courtside seating, shuttles from Winberie's to Jadwin and other various activities - all for the cost of 5 dollars per student. With everything in place, the Jadwin Jungle, after a week of recruiting in Frist, was a huge success with Princeton's first home game being a 61-45 rout of Dartmouth. On the next day, a double overtime win over Harvard cemented interest in the club and in the basketball team this year heading into the biggest home game of the season against Penn.
So, will there be a huge surge in support for our athletic teams now that there is a club organizing it, replete with its own T-shirts, scheduled appetizers, and exclusive privileges? In the busy lives of driven Princeton undergrads, there is seemingly no room left for anything that does not involve affiliations. Undoubtedly, the Jadwin Jungle will change the nature of Princeton students' relations with their athletic teams, specifically basketball for the meantime, but more important is the fact that such a club needs to exist for this to happen. Flaxman comments, "It is not necessarily strange or uncommon for us to have a club for this kind of thing and several other schools already have them. Maybe we do need this kind of club, but what's most important is the end result of the student body showing up and supporting its basketball team." As one of the most successful Ivy League schools in athletics, attendance and support for our teams off the field has not been nearly equivalent to the achievement of our athletes on the field. Sports, which are elevated at other universities to a level essential to school pride, are here equated with every other activity that students pencil into their schedule to go support their friends. While this says a lot about the balance and diversity of interests at Princeton, it neglects the fact that athletics inherently incorporate the defense of the honor of the school against other rivals in a way that plays, dance performances and arch sings cannot. Support for our on-campus groups should in no way be inconsistent with increased support for our sports teams.
What's in store for the Jadwin Jungle in the future is even more exciting than its present success and popularity. Road trips to other schools to support the Tigers at away games are currently being planned. Buses down to the Penn game in March, the final game of the season against Princeton's biggest rival, are a distinct possibility. Another possibility further down the road is expanding the club to different sports. Basketball lends itself particularly well to the club, being an indoor sport where fan support can make or break a game. The environment at Princeton Stadium during a football game is very different simply because of the larger size, but the football team might also greatly benefit from a more supportive fan base on campus. The club now already comprises over 10 percent of undergraduates after only a few weeks, which bodes well for its survival in the future. At of the beginning of the Penn game, 85 percent of Jadwin Jungle students were freshmen, which means that there is a great base to build on for four full years. The success of the club is somewhat tied to the success of the basketball team for the moment, but if these three freshmen can succeed in changing, even slightly, the culture at basketball games and the student body's support for their teams, fans will still report to the Jungle to stick by their team through thick and thin.
If you take one look at Freddy, John and Jonah down at courtside leaping in the air leading the cheers, you can tell these three have the dedication to stick this one out. Freddy comments, "I love it. It's such an adrenaline rush. You can see the product of your work right there and as an ex-basketball player, I know the effect. You just pour your heart into it". Perhaps it will take an official student organization to excite the student body into passionately supporting their athletic teams, but regardless of the cause, if the Jadwin Jungle accomplishes its long-term goals, not only the basketball team, but their fans and the University as a whole will benefit.